Atlantic bluefin tuna are considered the "tigers of the sea" for their remarkable speed, their killer hunting abilities and their impressive size – a single fish can weigh up to 1,500 pounds!

But these big fish have a truly huge problem - LONGLINES.

Surface longlines float in the water, stretching up to 40 miles and strung with hundreds of baited hooks that dangle down into the ocean, snagging any creatures that show an interest in their bait, including severely depleted bluefin tuna.

Last year, surface longline fishermen were required to throw back, dead, almost 25% of the U.S. bluefin tuna catch. Worse yet, much of this tragic waste took place in the Gulf of Mexico, a documented spawning ground for western Atlantic bluefin tuna.

Earlier this year, more than 190,000 friends of bluefin tuna urged NOAA (the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration) to protect these impressive fish from wasteful surface longline fishing.

NOAA responded by releasing proposed measures to protect this incredible fish but their proposal does not go far enough to truly protect the tuna – more changes are needed!